Ball point pen



H. M. DOMBROW BALL POINT PEN Dec. 22, 1964 Filed Jan. 21, 1963 United States Patent Ofiice 3,162,176 Patented Dec. 22, 1964 3,162,176 BALL POINT PEN Harry M. Dombrow, 52 W. Runyon St, Newark, NJ.

Filed Jan. 21, 1963, Ser. No. 252,646

6 Claims. (Cl. 120-424) This invention relates to pens and more particularly to a pen of the type known as fountain pens, it being one object of the invention to provide a pen having a writing point in the form of a ball which is mounted at the front end of the pen in position for writing contact with a sheet of paper during useof the pen.

At the present time pens having ball-shaped writing points are manufactured but have been found unsatisfactory as the point is so mounted that the pen must be held in substantially a vertical position in order to permit the point to have writing contact with a sheet of paper.

Therefore another object of the invention is to provide a pen with a spherical writing point so mounted that the pen may be held at various angles when in use and the point still have writing contact with a sheet of paper.

Another object of the invention is to provide a pen with a spherical point mounted for rotary motion during use of the pen and held in a concaved seat by magnetic action, thus making it unnecessary to mount the spherical point 'in a socket surrounding the point to such an extent that the pen must be held perpendicular to a sheet of paper in order to write with the pen and in addition allowing the spherical point to be readily removed when cleaning is necessary.

Another object of the invention is to provide a pen of the ball point type which is simple in construction, easy to use, and capable of being very easily taken apart and reassembled for use.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a view showing the improved pen partially in side elevation and partially in section.

FIG. 2 is a view upon an enlarged scale showing the front end portion of the pen principally in elevation and partially in section.

FIG. 3 is a view showing the cap or tip for the front end of the pen in section and the spherical point in elevation.

This improved pen has a tubular body 1 which may be formed of any suitable material and is open at its front end to receive a block 2 which is thrust longitudinally into the 'body or barrel. The block fits snugly into the barrel and has a tapered forward end portion or tip 3 enclosed in a conical shell 4 formed of sheet metal or other suitable material. This tapered or frusto conical shell projects forwardly beyond the front end or tip of the block and surrounds a ferrule-shaped cap 5. The extremity of the tapered forward end or tip of the block is of reduced diameter to provide a seat for the cap and cause the outer surface of the annular wall of the cap to be flush with the surface of the block and thus allow the shell 4 to have close fitting engagement with the cap as well as with the block.

The end Wall or head 7 is of concave-converted formation and at its center is formed with an opening 8 through which ink 9 in the bore 10 of the block is fed to the spherical point or ball 11 of the pen. This ball or point is formed of metal polished to provide a smooth surface and the cap 5 is formed of magnetized metal. Therefore the cap serves as a magnet and Will hold the ball or point in the seat formed by the concave face of the cap but allow the ball or spherical point to turn freely when the pen is used for writing and ink will be taken up by the point as it turns in the seat.

Referring particularly to FIGURE 2 it will be seen that the ball or point and the seat are of such dimensions that the cap and the end of the shell 4 terminate above the transverse diameter of the point instead of the point being rotatably mounted in a socket having wall extending beyond the transverse diameter of the point and spun inwardly to hold the point in its seat. Since the cap and the end of the shell terminate above the transverse center of the ball or spherical point, portions of the point project laterally from the front end of the shell and the pen may be held perpendicular to a sheet of paper when it is in use, as shown in FIGURE 1, or the pen may be held at an angle or incline Which most people find more convenient, as indicated by the dot and dash lines in this figure. The magnetic attraction of the cap or magnet 5 holds the point in place and prevents the point from be ing accidentally dislodged from its seat but when it is desired to clean the pen it is merely necessary to manually withdraw the point from its seat, carry out the cleaning operation, and replace the point. By withdrawing the block from the barrel 1 a fresh supply of ink may be fitted into the bore 10 of the block and the pen is agair ready for use.

From the foregoing description of the construction 0 my improved pen, the method of assembly and the op eration thereof will be readily understood, and it Wil be seen that I have provided a comparatively simple, in expensive and efiicient means for carrying out the variou: objects of the invention.

While I have particularly described the elements best adapted to perform the functions set forth, it is apparent that various changes in form, preparation and in the man ner details of construction may be resorted to, without detracting from or sacrificing any of the principles of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is: g 1. A pen comprising a barrel open at its front end, a block fitting snugly into the barrel through the front end thereof and having a portion projecting from the barrel and tapered towards its front end, said block being formed with a longitudinal bore constituting an ink passage and having its front end communicating with a concaved recess at the front end of the block, a cap of magnetic material fitting snugly about the front end portion of said block in countersunk relation thereto and having a concavo-convexed seat at its front end fitting snugly in the recess of the block and formed centrally with an opening registering with the front end of the bore, a shell fitting snugly about the tapered portion of the block and the frusto conical wall of said cap with its front end terminating flush with the front end of the cap, and a spherical writing point fitting snugly against the concaved outer surface of the head of said cap and magnetically held in place with the front end of the sleeve spaced upwardly from its horizontal diameter whereby the writing point may be grasped and withdrawn from the cap.

2. A pen comprising a barrel open at its front end, a block in said barrel having a tapered forward end portion protruding from the barrel and formed with a concaved hemispherical face at its front end, said block being formed with a longitudinal bore having its front end located centrally of its concaved front end face, a cap of magnetic metal fitting about the front end of said block and having a concavo-convexed head at its front end fitting snugly against the concaved front end of the block and formed with a central opening registering with the bore of the block, and a metal ball constituting a writing point for the pen and rotatably held in snug fitting engagement with the concaved outer surface of the head of the cap solely by magnetic attraction of the cap.

3. A pen comprising a barrel open at its front end, a block projecting forwardly from the front end of said barrel and formed with longitudinally extending bore, a frusto conical cap of magnetic material fitting about the front end portion of said block and having a hemispherical concavoconvexed head atit's front end formed at its center with an opening registering with the front end of the bore, and a spherical writing point formed of metal and held in seated engagement with the concaved surface of the head of said cap for less than one-half its diameter by magnetic attraction of the cap.

4. A pen comprising-a barrel open at its front end, a block projecting forwardly from said barrel and having a tapered forward end portion, said block being formed with a longitudinally extending bore constituting an ink passage, a cap of magnetic metal fitting snugly about the front end portion of said block and having a head at its .iront and defining a concaved seat and formed at its center with an opening registering with the bore, a sleeve fitting about the cap and the tapered portion of said block and having its front end open and surrounding the head of the cap, and awriting point consisting of a metal ball rotatably held against the seat by magnetic attraction of a terial whereby said ball member and said cap member are held together by magnetic attraction.

6. A pen as defined in claim 5 wherein said cap member is formed of said magnetic material and said ball member is formed of said magnetically attractable mater-ial.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,521,038 9/50 Canaday -42.4

FOREIGN PATENTS 937,657 3/48 France. 1,053,338 9/53 France. 446,798 3/49 Italy.

JEROME SCHNALL, Primary Examiner. GEORGE A. NINAS, Jr., Examiner. 

5. A PEN COMPRISING A BARREL HAVING AT LEAST ONE OPEN END, A BLOCK DISPOSED WITHIN AN OPEN END OF SAID BARREL AND HAVING AN END PORTION PROJECTING BEYOND SAID BARREL, SAID BLOCK ALSO HAVING AN ELONGATED BORE EXTENDING FROM SAID END PORTION AND INTO SAID BARREL TO THEREBY DEFINE AN INK PASSAGE, A CAP MEMBER SECURED TO SAID BLOCK END PORTION AND HAVING A FRUSTO-SPHERICAL SEAT PORTION CONCAVELY RECESSED INTO SAID BLOCK, SAID SEAT PORTION HAVING A CENTRAL OPENING THEREIN COMMUNICATING WITH SAID ELONGATED BORE, AND A SPHERICAL WRITING BALL MEMBER WITH A PORTION THEREOF DISPOSED CONTIGUOUSLY WITHIN SAID FRUSTOSPHERICAL SEAT PORTION, SAID BALL MEMBER PORTION DISPOSED WITHIN SAID SEAT PORTION FORMING LESS THAN ONE-HALF THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF SAID BALL MEMBER, ONE OF SAID MEMBERS BEING FORMED OF MAGNETIC MATERIAL AND THE OTHER OF SAID MEMBERS BEING FORMED OF MAGNETICALLY ATTRACTABLE MATERIAL WHEREBY SAID BALL MEMBER AND SAID CAP MEMBER ARE HELD TOGETHER BY MAGNETIC ATTRACTION. 